Emeralds and Amethysts
by Because Loki
Summary: "Even I do not know my full power, but my body knows, and every day it grows stronger..." Such are the words of Loki, spoken from a cell in a helicarrier. No fights as of now, maybe a potential romance, sorta self-insertion in the form of an OC. A little bit of potty mouth. Tony, duh. R&R, please!
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hey, guys. Um, so this is just about what I think went down after the Avengers got Loki, but he and Thor have not yet returned to Asgard. I do not in any way claim Marvel's characters, blah blah blah (but I wouldn't mind some of the profits!). All rights to Marvel, all power to they Hypno-toad, shwarma, etc. Read and review, por favor (that's Spanish for all of you who don't know)... Anyways, story time!**

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They couldn't do this to him, not _him_. Others, perhaps, were worthy of this foul treatment, but not him. He glared at the agents that gawked as he was led to his cell, flanked on all sides by S.H.I.E.L.D's _second_ toughest group of fighters. He smirked to himself, as he remembered that they had not taken his magic, not yet. He could escape now if he really wanted to, but he'd rather play a game with the Avengers. He was walked roughly by the guards that surrounded him to the large room with windows for the observation of their prisoner in his circular cell. Loki sneered inwardly as he thought to himself, _"So, these are to be my quarters for the duration of my stay. I must remember to thank Nick Fury for allowing me my own room."_ He held his head up proudly, not forgetting his false upbringing as a prince in Asgard. He was still bitter even after the long time it had been since he thought himself a son of the Allfather. No, Thor was the only one who could truly claim the name of Odinson. Loki was just the frost giant infant the mighty Odin had taken pity upon, raised with lies and trickery, no wonder that's all he became. A liar and a trickster.

Loki was startled out of his bitter thoughts but a rough push into the circular pen. He felt the bonds on his hands loosen and be pulled away quickly, leaving red marks and a sharp, stinging pain behind to linger on his wrists. He growled, long and low at the agents who had brought him here and very near assaulted him. They stepped back in slight fear, another quickly shutting and locking the near invisible door to the cell. They were given a last snarl, complete with bared teeth, as they scrambled over one another and looked back as they left. The mischief maker stalked over to the bench in the corner, nearly smashing into the wall of glass in his way. He stopped short, and saw a small handle. Curious, he opened it to see his own lavatory. _"Ah, Fury, you _have_ thought of everything, no?"_ Loki smiled smugly as he looked over his shoulder at a small camera following his every movement from outside the cell. "Thank you, oh so kindly, for allowing me this small comfort." He drawled, a lock of his coal black hair swinging in front of his left eye. He shook his head, still with the smug grin on his face, as if to say, "You cannot keep me imprisoned forever." He sidestepped the small room with the one-way glass and then sat on the bench, one leg up on it, bent at the knee, and the other stretched out in front of him. He smiled lazily and his eyes followed the agents walking past in varying outfits and states of agitation. He managed to lie down on the bench, just barely fitting his long body on it. He smirked and fell into a light sleep, smirking the whole time.

"Loki, get up. It's chow time." The voice echoed in his head, making him groggily sit up, glaring at the supposed hero who was on Loki-watch today. "C'mon, I got places to be, people to see, large companies to schmooze." Tony Stark was fiddling with the control panel, only glancing up to see if the prisoner was awake. He nodded a little when he saw Loki was up and said only one word, "Catch"

Loki was confused for a moment, but looked up and caught the capsule of food before it hit the floor of his holding place. He shot Tony a puzzled look, to which he got an exasperated sigh and a command to, "open it up and eat already." Loki did as he was told, and found a meal of Midgardian food which consisted of something the package called, "Pop-Tarts", a small jug of "orange juice" and a small slice of warmed bread. Loki sniffed at the "Pop-Tarts" carefully, then took a small nibble and found it contained no poison and no drugs. He ate the rest greedily, consumed the second one and drank down the "orange juice" just as quickly and then slowed his eating of the bread just to irritate Tony.

"You know, Anthony, you and I are not all that different," Loki said, trying to strike up a conversation, keeping his eyes on his bread as he turned it over in his long, pale fingers. "We both have what we really want. Power. Mine comes in the form of my magic, and yours in your money and that ridiculous suit."

Tony stiffened at the god's words. "You and I are nothing alike. And, if memory serves, that 'ridiculous suit' whooped some Chitauri ass and launched a nuke back into a portal thus killing all of those stupid aliens." He spun on his heel and stomped to the cell. "And another thing, if it weren't for the suit, you would still be free, and I'd be dead. So, just remember that it was the suit that brought you here to you prison and it's the suit that'll keep you in it." Tony spat, taking a cheap shot at Loki just for the hell of it.

Loki did nothing but smirk the entire time, and when he stood up and strolled over to face Tony, he said nothing. Just gave him a pointed look and turned, his deep green cape billowing behind him as he walked around the cell. "You know," Loki mused. "In Asgard, cursing is considered one of the most vulgar things one can say. Especially in the presence of a woman. Wouldn't you say, Agent Romanoff?" He turned, grinning at the redheaded woman leaning against a door frame looking entirely bored with the whole ordeal.


	2. Chapter 2

**Blah blah, rant rant, Marvel creds, blah blah. Anyway, to the story!**

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Natasha was shocked, to say the least, that Loki heard her slink into the room. Nobody ever heard her, but then again, this was Loki not nobody. She pursed her lips and crossed her arms across her chest while glaring at the fallen god with utter hatred. She took small, deliberate, controlled steps until she reached the catwalk that led to Loki's cell. She grabbed a metal folding chair and slammed it down before sitting in it herself. "So, this is what you've been reduced to. A sniveling mass of refuse, only serving a single purpose that you've created for yourself. A purpose that is not real and not glorious, and therefore not your burden." The Russian continued glaring while she said this in a tone that chilled even Nick Fury. All Loki could do was smile as she ranted on about something or another.

Tony saw that things were about to get real ugly real fast, so he transported the food capsule back out, fiddled with the controls one more time, and got back to the lab he and Bruce shared on the helicarrier. Loki watched as Tony scampered out of the room, the arc reactor lighting up the dark corridor as he went. The god let his eyes wander over the room, really looking at it for the first time. He noticed there had been some small changes from when he was here last. They had reinforced the doors, the windows, the everything. _"Probably the work of Stark and Banner._" Loki thought, as his eyes fell upon a slight figure in the doorway that Agent Romanoff had just occupied. He stared at her, trying to see what features the shadows hid. He stood up, and walked towards her, only stopping when he smashed face-first into the panel of glass. He narrowed his eyes in anger and Natasha was on her feet, ready to fight. "_Relax_, Romanoff," Loki grumbled. "I was just trying to get a better look at our... Newest guest." he explained, shooting a wicked grin at both the agent and the mystery person.

Natasha spun around, then saw that it was only the newest member of S.H.I.E.L.D's Avengers Initiative, a small girl with dark hair and remarkable eyes. She was standing, arms akimbo and feet planted, staring Loki down as she walked into the light. Natasha let out a sigh of relief and began to make the introductions. "This is-"

"I'm Agent Liv Atkinson, and I can speak for myself, Agent Romanoff. Thank you very much, but I really don't think I'll need any help here. You, Loki, can call me Agent Atkinson. I know all about your antics and your powers. I know your strengths and your weaknesses. There is nothing about you that I do not know." Liv stepped forward one last time, arms now crossed in a defiant manner, muscles tense, like she was just aching to hit something. The girl's violet eyes became darker with anger as she noticed that Loki was trying to keep from laughing at her. "What are you laughing at?"

Loki chuckled and shook his head to show he couldn't speak at present. He held up a finger and staggered back to his bench, and laughed himself into a fit. Once he had calmed down, he swiped at his eyes and looked up into the purple ones fixed upon him. "Foolish mortal, there is no man or woman who knows what I am fully capable of. Even _I _do not know fully, but my body knows and every day it grows stronger and stronger. I will be the ruler of Midgard, and Asgard as well. I will rule all realms and once I dispose of the Avengers, there will be no one to stop me." Emerald held amethyst, each pair of eyes like two bright jewels in the harsh light. Natasha looked anxiously between the two raven haired persons in her care.

"Oh-ho-kaaay, well, Agent Atkinson and I will be leaving now if you don't mind, Loki. I'll be sending Thor along to look after you for the next hour or so. Or I could send somebody entirely different, just to screw with you." Black Widow grabbed the girl by her small shoulders, nearly getting a solid left hook to the face. "We need to work on your nerves, little miss." She said, steering the angry woman away from the snorting god. Loki couldn't help himself, the girl was funny when she got mad."_Funny and cute,"_ he thought. _"Gah! What am I thinking? She is nothing but an expendable mortal." _Loki shook his head, trying to clear it before any Avengers showed up. That was the last thing he needed, for Thor to come in and try to talk to him.

* * *

"And did you see the smug look on his face? God, it just makes me so angry!" Liv stomped back and forth in front of a large table that was used for meetings, but now gave three people a place to sit while they exchanged looks at one another. She stopped mid-step, her eyes scanning the faces of Natasha Romanoff, Bruce Banner, and Steve Rogers. "Barton, I know you're up there so just come down already!" Liv screamed at the man curled up in a little nook that he had made his perch in the rafters. Agent Barton rolled his eyes, unfolded his legs and jumped down, landing next to Natasha without so much as a little flinch on her part. The newest agent tensed up, and cocked her head. She looked pleased for a second, then nodded. "They're coming," was all she said. Bruce furrowed his brow, then a look of comprehension replaced the one of confusion as two pairs of heavy footsteps and one pair of softer ones came from outside the door.

"To which the Warriors Three merely assumed she was jesting and then when Lady Sif showed up that night in her finery, they were all at a loss for words!" Thor boomed, and followed it up with a roar of laughter as the door opened. Tony gave a forced chuckle that fell flat and Nick Fury only rolled his one good eye at the god and the inventor as they took their seats.

"Agent Atkinson." Fury gave the newest agent a curt nod and motioned for her to take her seat. The only one open was the one that Phil Coulson used to sit in and when she stopped short, she saw the sadness in her teammates' eyes.

"Um, I'll just stand, Director. I'm more comfortable in the shadows, y'know." Liv said, hurrying over to a dark corner of the room, and settling against the wall. Clint looked from her to Fury back to her again. He raised his hand like a child in pointed at he dropped his arm and Fury told him to hurry up and ask his question.

"If she can stand over there, why can't I sit up there?" Hawkeye cried in anguish as he threw his arm back up, pointing to his perch high in the rafters.

"Because she can see the screen from the corner and no matter how good a sniper you are, you can't see it from up there." was all the archer got in response. The one eyed man turned and messed with a few dials and buttons before the S.H.I.E.L.D logo was replaced with stills of their battle with the Chitauri and Loki. Liv gazed in awe at the display of her teammates' fighting skills. Quickly, she remembered that any one of them could kill her here and now if they knew who she truly was. She shook her head to clear it before returning her attention to Fury's words.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: The song Loki sings is "Norse Lullaby" by Eugene Field. As always, no claims to Marvel's characters and all rights to Marvel and Eugene Field for his song (but he's long dead so... yeah), etc., etc. Also, thanks to Crimson Banner for being so supportive, I really appreciate it.**

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Loki hummed to himself, a song he had been sung by Frigga, his adoptive mother when she cradled the small boy in her arms with a toddling Thor gazing at his baby brother. "Himmelen er mørk og åsene er hvite. Som storm-kongen hastigheter fra nord i natt; Og dette er sangen stormen-kongen synger, som verden kappen hans hiver han: 'Sov, sove, lille, søvn;' Han rasler sine vinger og barsk synger: 'Søvn, lille, søvn.'" The god of mischief sang softly, remembering his favorite verse, his voice echoing slightly against the glass walls of the cell. Loki smiled and sang the verse in English, grateful for the tutorship he had gotten as a prince. "The sky is dark and the hills are white, as the storm-king speeds from the north to-night; And this is the song the storm-king sings, as over the world his cloak he flings: 'Sleep, sleep, little one, sleep;' He rustles his wings and gruffly sings: 'Sleep, little one, sleep.'"

"Your voice has not changed in quality since your fall, brother." Thor rumbles from the doorway, surrounded on all sides by the rest of his team. Bruce looks happy for once, Tony, Clint, and Steve were in a state of shock. Natasha has an appreciative look on her face, Fury is apathetic as always, and Liv's violet eyes are alight with wonder. "Do you remember the rest, Loki? Shall we sing together?" The blond god prompts his red-faced, raven haired sort-of brother to join in a song.

"English or our native language, brother of mine?" Loki inquired, almost snidely, but not quite. All he got was a shrug from Thor, who motioned for the younger of the two to begin. Loki took a deep breath to steel his nerves and began on the next verse. "On yonder mountain-side a vine clings at the foot of a mother pine; The tree bends over the trembling thing, and only the vine can hear her sing:'Sleep, sleep, little one, sleep; What shall you fear when I am here? Sleep, little one, sleep.'"

The air swells with the sounds of the two gods' voices, of Thor's deep baritone and of Loki's light tenor. The brothers join together in a last bout of deep breaths and loud voices accompanied by the melody conjured by Loki's magic. "The king may sing in his bitter flight, the pine may croon to the vine to-night, but the little snowflake at my breast liketh the song I sing the best, -'Sleep, sleep, little one, sleep; Weary thou art, anext my heart; Sleep, little one, sleep.'"

Loki shakes a little from his nerves and then smiles at Thor, who returns the weak grin with a broad one of his own. Liv's eyes are shining from the tears welling up in them, and then she quickly swipes at them with no one noticing. She thinks to herself, _"I haven't heard singing so lovely as that since I was very small. I must learn the words to it, perhaps I'll have Thor teach me."_ Then the agent's senses return and she shakes her head angrily at her own thoughts and actions. _"You're such a fool! If one of them had seen me, they would've asked what was wrong. God, I'm so stupid! Idiot!" _She screamed mentally at herself, joining in the slow applause the gods got from all of the Avengers, excluding Nick Fury.

"You sing well, Loki. And, unfortunately for us, you fight even better. I've got Stark working on something to fix that pesky magic problem of yours." Director Fury called out over his shoulder.

"You _are_ working on that, aren't you Tony?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, of course." Tony looked up from his smartphone and looked around at his team before turning to Bruce. "Hey, uh, Banner. You know where I left those blueprints for the, eh, thing-y?"

"Ummm, nope. Haven't seen 'em. Sorry." the doctor shrugged his shoulders in a helpless manner and then shoved his hands into his pants pockets. Tony rolled his eyes and mumbled something about asking JARVIS about them when he got back home.

Steve coughed awkwardly and began rocking back and forth on his heels. "Um, so, why did you call us here, Director? I mean, I know that you were just yelling at us about our faults in fighting, but I don't see why we're," he looked around the room. "Here. Sir." Steve adds in quickly, still remembering his manners.

"Because, Rogers, we're moving." Fury snapped at his super soldier, glaring with one eye at each of them in turn. "We're relocating to Stark Tower. Whether Stark likes it or not."

"Uh, yeah. That doesn't work for me. I'm trying to rebuild it after what Reindeer Games did to my place. The last thing I need is for a god, two assassins, a giant green rage monster, Spangles here, and the new one to be all up in my space." Tony piped up, jerking a thumb over his shoulder and turning to face the group.

"Then build it bigger. Put in more rooms, a floor for each of them. On a sub-level, put a room for Hulk, and below that put exactly what we have here for Loki. Understand?" Fury barked at Tony, clearly getting angrier.

"Wait, I can have my tower even bigger? Sweet! When are we moving?" Tony quickly became more excited as he realized that he could have an even flashier place to live.

Fury rolled his eye and began to fiddle with the control panel more. "I'm sending you another copy of the blueprints, Stark. Banner, I want you to figure out how you'll be able to get to your safe room in case of an... _incident_. Got it?"

Bruce mock saluted. "Yes, sir." Then he turned and dragged the super happy Tony to the lab.

"Oh, I know! I'll get each floor different colored lights so that at night every floor with be the colors of the suits! Except yours, Big Guy. You can get green and purple, though. Spangles'll get red white and blue, the patriotic bastard, and Spidey can have black and red. Legolas gets black and maybe bl-HMPH! MMPH!" The team was graced with the sound of the gentle doctor's hand clamping down over Tony's motormouth. They all gave a collective sigh of relief and turned back to the director.

"Alright, troops. I'll be sending you in small groups to the tower of the course of the week. Banner and Stark first, they're the least suspicious. Romanoff and Atkinson, you'll be next, under the guise of two drunk girls Stark and Banner got at a bar. Rogers, you'll be next. Thor and Barton, you stay here until the rest are settled and everything is ready. You will be escorting Loki to his quarters. Am I clear?"

"Crystal, boss man." Clint piped up, somehow on top of the cage. "The science bros, the ladies," he waggled his eyebrows at Tasha. "Captain 'Murica here, me and the gods."

Fury narrowed his eye and glared at his sharpshooter. "Listen, bird brain, I can have you outta this program faster than you can say 'bow and arrow' with your memory wiped clean." he growled at Barton.

Clint held up his hands in a gesture worthy of its own rage face. "Sorry, boss man. Won't happen again." He jumped down and straightened up, feet together, and one arm held stiffly against his side while the other was held up in a rigid salute. He still kept the cocky grin plastered on his face, 'till Tasha smacked him on the back of the head. "Ow, Nat. That really hurt..." He pouted like a child, pushing out his lower lip and making sure to let it tremble.

"Barton, quit with the theatrics. I know your game. Now go do whatever you do. Dismissed." Fury growled at his team, stalking off to wherever it was that he stalked to. The Avengers went to their rooms, except Thor, who stayed behind to watch Loki. He cautiously approached the cell, Loki's green eyes focused solely on him.

"Brother, why do you do this? Why do you not see the error of your ways? Why do you not just plead for forgiveness? You know that it would be given by the Allfather. Your punishment would be greatly reduced. Perhaps I could convince him to repeat the punishment given to-"

"No!" Loki snarled, baring his teeth at the blonde man opposite him. "_Your_ father would have no reason to be so kind to a monster such as myself. Look at me, Thor, really look. Tell me what you see." Loki took a shaky breath, and let the magic walls fall from around him. His skin turned an icy blue, his eyes were no longer emeralds, but rubies. "TELL ME!" Loki screamed, eyes watering in anger as Thor remained silent for far too long.

"I- I see my brother. A strong, prideful, silver-tongued, liar and trickster. I see a powerful magician, full of anger, and fear, and hurt. I see... I see Loki Laufeyson, but that is not who he is to me. He is Loki Odinson, son of the Allfather and Frigga, his queen. Brother to the miserable excuse for a being, Thor Odinson. I see the young man who I have grown up with, my little brother. And I love him, my brother, because he has taught me that no matter what they are or what they look like, family is still family." Thor was nervous, as he saw the wet streaks of tears running down his brother's blue-skinned face, and felt the tears welling up in his own blue eyes. They fell slowly, warm, salty, and full of sadness as they glinted on his beard.

"Lies." Loki spat, slowly returning to his usual appearance. "How dare you try to lie to me, the god of mischief, trickery, lies. How dare you, Thor Odinson, try to lie to Loki Laufeyson who, his whole life, has lied to the best of them and lied his way out of everything. How dare you stand there and preach to me about family, about how I am your brother, how you love me after all of those years allowing me to be in your shadow and never once caring about me, even though I had you banished, even though I have lied to you all our lives, even though you know I am a Jotun and you are an Asgardian and consider me your sibling. How. _Dare_. You." Loki began crying again, frustration and anger making the tears fall heavier and faster. "How dare you, Thor Odinson. How dare you. How dare you..." He raspily whispered, voice cracking, trying to force itself past the lump in his throat. He kept repeating the phrase over and over, long after Thor had gone and Loki sat on the floor of his cell and wept, back against the wall, knees drawn up to his chest and head resting on them. His tears soaked his pant legs, reddened his eyes, stained his pale cheeks, and made his thin nose run. He sobbed as he pulled his cape from behind him and stumbled over to the bench, using the green velvet as a blanket and to shield his tired eyes from the harsh light. Loki was a sniveling mess, his defensive walls broken, all from one conversation with Thor. He fell, exhausted, into a fitful sleep, weeping still.


	4. Chapter 4

**So this chapter's gonna just be when Tony and Bruce leave and when our female agents get picked up. Thanks to my followers (love you guys) 'cause it means a lot to me! Anyway, story time! :D**

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It was the next week, Monday, and Tony and Bruce were preparing to leave the helicarrier for Stark Tower. Tony was in his Iron Man suit, having nothing with him but his thin smartphone in his jeans pocket and his favorite Black Sabbath t-shirt. Bruce was shifting his weight from one foot to the other nervously as he climbed into the small helicopter that Director Fury commanded him to fly in to get back to New York. Their bags were stuffed in the back, leaving little room for the broad-shouldered doctor to fit in.

"Um, are you sure you want me in... This tiny little thing? I mean, what if... What if the Other Guy decides to come out play?" Banner mumbled to the floor, scraping the toe of his loafer on the smooth metal.

"Then make sure he doesn't." Fury snapped, watching the short, muscular man clamber awkwardly into the helicopter. "Now, get out of here and don't compromise this mission, _Stark_." Tony raised a metal-clad hand and saluted before taking off through the opening hatch. The copter followed suit, and the two flying machines sped off to Tony's home. The Avengers watched them take off, trying to collect their thoughts as the two smartest people of their team just flew away in a burst of light and heat from Tony's suit.

"Perhaps we should begin our preparations for departure as soon as we can, friends. The man of iron and our kind doctor are expecting us in the next week." Thor suggested, his deep voice echoing around the now nearly empty hanger. The team gave a collective nod, and tromped off to their rooms. Liv and Tasha both went to Liv's room, just to talk over what they were going to do the next day when Tony and Bruce "met" them at the club.

"So, like, are we just gonna be sitting at the club and then Tony and Bruce saunter over and start hitting on us?" Liv asked, throwing things into her bag as she went around her room. They all landed in with accuracy that even Barton would be proud of. Tasha sighed, and flopped back onto Liv's S.H.I.E.L.D-quality bed (which is to say, not that great) throwing an arm over her eyes.

"We go to club. Stark and Banner roll in. We giggle at them, flirt some. Banner's got you, Stark's got me," She made a face. "I dunno if I can take it, though. He'll be making backhanded compliments all night. No amount of Red Room and S.H.I.E.L.D training can prepare me for _Tony Stark_ of all people to be hitting on me."

"Don't worry, Tash. I think I'm the one who has to worry more. I mean, what if Banner Hulks out or he's super awkward and I still have to pretend like I'm interested?" Liv patted the redhead on the shoulder.

"Yeah. You're right. You have it _way_ worse." Tasha snickered and Liv went from patting comfortingly to a friendly slap on the arm.

* * *

"Tony, I'm not so sure about this... I mean, what if I mess up and she laughs at me?" Bruce asked Tony nervously, pulling on the sleeves of his purple button down shirt. "I know it's just pretend, but still..."

Tony clapped Bruce on the back. "Don't worry about it, Big Guy. Even if Rookie hates your guts and laughs at you because you're so pitiful, she still has to come home with you." Tony grinned before his voice got muffled by the ACDC shirt he was pulling on. "And maybe, just maybe, our quiet little doctor will be able to bed someone." Bruce blushed furiously, ducking his head down.

"Tony, don't..." Bruce mumbled, clearly emclubrassed. The billionare just grinned again, and poured himself a glass of scotch. "Tony? Why are you drinking _before_ we get there?" Bruce shot him a confused look, knowing already that he wouldn't drink. He couldn't risk it, not after what had happened on the helicarrier. Tony had given him a shot glass with a burning liquid, told Bruce it was water and he was too wrapped up in his project that he couldn't care. Then everyone had started yelling, and he just lost it. The only things he remembered were as follows:

_Everyone's mad and yelling... God, just make them shut up! I'm trying to work. Ffffffffuuuuuuuuuuuu- Oh no... It's happening. _He could hear Natasha talking to him, trying to calm him down. _No more Bruce, Hulk now. Hulk mad! Hulk... SMASH!_

Bruce cringed, knowing that his other half wasn't the most... Eloquent of people. Tony kept going on about how it was to help him loosen up "'cause how could anybody hit on Natasha fuckin' Romanoff? Besides Clint anyway." and here he snickered. Bruce shook his head and went down to the lab, the only place where he felt comfortable in the luxurious Stark Tower.

"'Ay Bruce? Where ya' goin'? We need ta... Ta go 'n get the gurls..." Tony trailed off, staring at the closing elevator doors already slurring his words. Obviously he drank more than the one glass Bruce had seen him ingest.

"JARVIS, can you figure out a way to sober Tony up in the next five minutes?" Bruce called out to the AI.

"Of course, sir. Mister Stark will be sober in five... Four... Three... Two..." JARVIS counted down and all Bruce heard afterward was a high-pitched shriek from upstairs and Tony cursing a blue streak. It took all he had not to laugh at Tony's sopping form as he emerged from the elevator. Tony glared at his science bro and then up at his ceiling.

"I fucking hate the both of you." Tony's words were no longer slurred and his second favorite shirt clung to the arc reactor, making it shine all the brighter. "Now I've got to go change and we'll be late meeting Spidey and Rookie."

Bruce raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Since when does Tony 'I couldn't give a fuck even if I tried' Stark care about being punctual? Unless, of course, you actually _are_ going to flirt with Tasha?" The scientist teased his engineer friend, getting back at him for trying to get Bruce to Hulk out.

"JARVIS, send me down a sports coat, a t-shirt, some pants, and a can of ass-whooping for Bruce."

"Yes, sir." The robotic butler replied, sending a small robot out of the wall with Tony's clothes on a tray. And on top of the folded clothes sat a can labeled 'Stark's Guaranteed To Make Them Shit Their Pants Ass-Whooping!' Bruce rolled his eyes at this, then turned back to examining Loki's spear that he had brought with him from the helicarrier.

Tony glared at Bruce, who was still chuckling to himself a little bit. "Okay, number one. I don't like Tasha in _that _way. Two, shut the hell up, Bruce Banner, before I ban you from any and all labs. Three, don't look, I'm getting dressed. Unless our shy little doctor is actually-"

"Tony! Stop it!" Bruce yelled, getting embarrasssed again. He slammed his palms over his eyes and turned his back to Tony. "I'm not, and besides. I couldn't get anyone even if I begged."

"'S not true, Brucie. I'm sure lots of people find quiet, shy, doctors who when overly-excited turn into giant green rage monsters who end up trashing half my tower and a good few blocks of Manhattan attractive. Even if they're begging." Tony teased, laughing inwardly as he saw Bruce blush again underneath his hands. "_Damn, he gets embarrassed really easily__"_

"Sir," JARVIS called, "You will be late for your meeting with Agents Romanoff and Atkinson if you do not depart within three minutes of now."

"Yes, thank you, JARVIS. Bruce and I were just about to leave." Tony grit his teeth at his patronizing AI, lying right through them.

"Of course, sir." JARVIS pretended to believe his creator, and went back to doing... JARVIS-y stuff. Tony and Bruce went to the garage, passing Pepper on her way out.

"Hey, Tony! Hey, Bruce!" Pepper called cheerily, waving at the men who were walking briskly by. Tony held up his hand as he kept walking and waved it a little while he pulled on his favorite sunglasses. Bruce actually stopped to talk to her, but was called by Tony from his car.

"Sorry, Pepper. I've got to go. I'll see you when you get back from that trip." Bruce smiled at Pepper and she returned it.

"Oh, Bruce? Make sure Tony doesn't overdo it with the drinking tonight, okay?" Pepper looked over at her business partner who was honking impatiently at his science bro.

"Sure thing, Peps." Bruce turned and slid into the passenger seat. He did nothing but stare straight ahead the entire time.

* * *

A yellow New York City cab pulled up in front of an exclusive club, and out of said cab emerged two female forms. Natasha and Liv stepped onto the curb and Tasha leaned over into the passenger side window, the low cut neckline of her slinky black dress showing off at least an inch and a half of cleavage. The cabbie did all he could to not drool at the sight. Tasha smiled and handed him a twenty, then stalked away to the door of the club, Liv trailing behind.

Liv looked uncomfortable as she tugged on the hem of her short skirt. "I dunno, Tash. I got a bad feeling about this.." She muttered, pulling up her shirt as well. Tasha swatted Liv's hands away from her clothes.

"Liv, quit it. You're gonna blow our cover." Tasha hissed back, getting them past the bouncer with a sultry look and a little bit of bending over. "Just get your wasted on. Relax a little, the guys'll be here soon." Not more than five seconds after she said this, did the club go completely silent and all heads were turned and focused on the door. Tony Stark had just strolled in, pulling off his shades and there was somebody else behind him. He wasn't famous, he had never been seen with Stark before. He was actually very plain. Bruce could hear the whispers, and kept his head angled down, only glancing up to see where Tasha and Liv had gone. He found them giggling and whispering to each other, glasses held in their hands. He nudged Tony's arm, and pointed over at the bar and also the girls.

Tony swaggered over to the bar, Bruce trailing behind him nervously. "Hey, ladies. You might know me, I'm Tony Stark." Tony grinned at them, leaning against the bar, oddly close to Natasha. She giggled and leaned in closer to Tony.

"Oh, I know who you are, Mister Stark." Tasha whispered, laying a hand over the arc reactor embedded in Tony's chest. She tapped it with one finger and then trailed the finger all around it. Bruce looked away from them, embarrassed once again and decided to chat Liv up instead.

"Please, call me Tony." The genius drawled, getting a few glasses of scotch for himself.

"Hey." Bruce stuck out his hand for Liv to shake. When she did, he said, "I'm Bruce. Bruce Banner."

She grinned at him, and let the words flow out of her mouth. "_Bruce Banner_," she breathed. "It sounds like it belongs in a poem. I'm Liv Atkinson. It's so nice to have met you, Bruce. Maybe we can make it even nicer. What say you, Bruce?" Liv purred at the doctor, and all he could do was gulp.

"S-sounds great. M-m-maybe we c-can get T-Tony to drive us back. I think he's taken an interest in your friend over there." Bruce stammered, and jerked his head at Tony and Nat who were currently dancing lewdly. "They're good actors, huh, Livvy?" Bruce leaned down and whispered in the agent's ear. She giggled and forced a blush like he had said something dirty.

"Not as good as I am." Liv whispered back, as she threw her arms around Bruce's neck and brought his face closer to hers. "Not nearly as good." Liv kissed him quickly, but made sure the point got across.

Bruce's eyes widened almost comically, and then it was over. He smiled while blushing and took Liv's hand then led her to the dance floor. He tapped Tony on the shoulder and mouthed, "_Let's go," _ then started off towards the door. Tony grabbed Natasha around the waist and she giggled like a schoolgirl as he led her to the door. The four walked down the block to where Tony had parked and as soon as they were out of sight of the club, Natasha threw Tony's arm off of her, and Tony jumped into his car like she had the plague. Liv and Bruce slid into the backseat, which forced Tasha to sit up front with Tony.

"When we go past the club you'll have to look like you want him, Nat." Liv piped up from the back as both of the people in the front shot her a death glare. Nat rolled her eyes, but complied with Liv's statement. She ran a hand up and down Tony's thigh as he drove past the club, looking at him through half-lidded eyes. She checked her mirror to see if anyone at the club could see them, and when she was sure they couldn't, she pulled her arm back as quickly as possible and crossed them.

"I hate you so much, Stark. You have no idea."

Tony chuckled, a deep, throaty sound and shot back, "Didn't seem that way when you were grinding on my junk, Kitten." Tasha shot him _The Look_ and it was enough to get him to shut up for a little while at the very least. Bruce had put his arm around Liv when they got in the car, and he hadn't bothered to remove it. He noticed it, though, and quickly snatched it back to his side while mumbling a red-faced apology to the violet eyed agent.

"It's alright, Bruce." Liv murmured. "I didn't mind. It was actually kind of nice, made me feel less alone." Bruce nodded in agreement and before they knew it, they were all back at the tower. They said their good nights and went their separate ways for the night. Liv flopped onto the soft bed provided by Stark, and her lips curled up into a smile, the enchantments fading away to reveal a taller, more developed woman with the same dark hair and violet eyes, but her hair was longer, almost down to her waist. She was no longer Liv Atkinson, she was Asfrid, the apprentice of Loki Laufeyson, the secret daughter of the mighty warrior Volstagg and the Lady Sif. And her plan was working perfectly.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: I'M BACK! Yay, I'm not dead! Here's what you've been waiting very (im)patiently for.**

* * *

Asfrid awoke to the sound of a very tired, very hungover Tony Stark stomping through the halls on his way to his floor. Why he didn't take the elevator was beyond her. She groaned and turned her head to the nightstand beside her bed. 5:30? God, that was too early. "Jesus Christ, Tony. Why can't you be normal for once?" She grumbled to herself, and got up. Long, tanned arms stretched far above her head, curly long brown hair was in a rat's nest on her head, long lean legs slid off the bed. She muttered a spell and felt herself shrinking. She dropped half a foot in height, her hair went back to her shoulders and straightened itself, and she dropped a cup size. She sighed happily as she strolled to the bathroom- _her _bathroom. The newly changed Liv was ready for her day in less than half an hour. She shuffled to the elevator on her floor in one of her favorite t-shirts, a black one with a picture of Discord on it, the words 'Deal With It' underneath and a pair of old gym shorts that doubled as pajama bottoms when she was too lazy to change. She hit the button for the Avengers' shared floor, an entire suite just like the others, only it had a kitchen.

"WHO THE FUCK IS MAKING FUCKING BACON AND EGGS AT FUCKING SIX IN THE MORNING? FUCKING FUCKITY FUCK FUCK FUCK!" Tony screamed as he stomped in on Liv staring at him over a skillet on the stove. "GOD DAMN- Rookie, what the hell do you think you're doing in my kitchen?" Tony sat down on a bar stool, and poured a glass of scotch for himself.

"Making breakfast for myself. Course, I won't be able to eat it until after my morning run." Liv replied simply, shrugging her shoulders at her host. Tony glared at the smart-aleck before draining the glass in front of him. She pulled on a red hoodie she had brought down with her and zipped the white zipper up. An iPod found its way into her holster and Liv turned back to the food.

"Yeah, well," Tony grumbled. "Just make sure you make some for me, Rookie."

"Whatever you say, Tony. By they way, you shouldn't drink scotch this early. Maybe a small glass of white wine instead. Makes ya' feel fancier and more privileged, no?" Liv called from the doorway after tossing some food on a plate for Tony.

"Well, fuck me. It does." Tony grinned at the wine glass in his hand and then at his plate of bacon and eggs. "Best. Agent. Ever." Tony nodded happily and wolfed down his food before stomping excitedly back up the stairs to his penthouse.

* * *

When Liv returned from her two-hour long run, she found a very nervous looking Steve Rogers on the couch of the common floor. "Mornin', Cap." Liv saluted him quickly, before yanking up the socks she had 'borrowed' from Tasha's room when she couldn't find any of her own. They came up to the middle of her calves, and while comfortable, they were just a tad too big.

"Good morning, Agent Atkinson. I see you've returned from... Running?" Rogers asked timidly, watching as Liv paused her loud music and wound up some white things that he had learned were called 'ear buds' and that what Liv was using was an 'eye-pod'. "What's that you're listening to, Agent?"

"How's that?" Liv asked from the kitchen, heating up her breakfast in the microwave while turning to face her Captain. "What am I listening to? Like, the song or the genre?"

Steve just nodded. "Yes."

Liv rolled her eyes. "Real helpful, Cap. Well, this wasn't far from your time. It's 80's hard rock. A guy called Bon Jovi. His song 'Wanted Dead or Alive'. 'S good. Here, listen." she tossed her iPod to the confused Captain, and she helped him turn the music on. She pulled the ear buds out and rolled them up and put them in her pocket.

_It's all the same... only the names will change. Every day, it seems we're wastin' away. Another place where the faces are so cold. I drive all niiiight just to get baack home. I'm a cowboy, on a steel horse I'd ride. I'm wanted... Dead or alive... Wanted... Dead or aliiiive... Sometimes I sleep, sometimes it's not for days. The people I meet always go their separate ways. Sometimes you tell the daaaay by the bottle that you drink. Sometimes when you're alone... Aall you do is think._

"It's very different. I don't really know if I like it... But this person sounds like Tony with his drinking." Cap nodded, and smiled sheepishly up at Liv. "I'm not very good with all of this new music and technology." Liv patted him on the shoulder and yawned.

"Don't worry, Cap. You'll get it eventually. I'm sure Tony'll help you." Liv walked over to the counter and grabbed a fork from the drawer. She ate her breakfast and sat with Steve in companionable silence. "Welp, I better go get ready. Later, Cappy." Liv stretched and hopped into the elevator, yawning once again.

"Bye..." Steve whispered to his lap, all alone once again.

* * *

"Steve? What are you doing down here? How long have you been here?" Bruce had wandered into the living room, hoping to watch an episode of Mythbusters.

"Huh?" Steve started awake, sitting up slowly while he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "I don't know. Agent Atkinson had come down earlier, maybe around eight or so, and she had her breakfast and let me listen to some music and then she left. I think I fell asleep after that."

Bruce blushed a little at the mention of Liv, remembering the night before. "I see. Do you know where she went? I need to, um, talk to her. Also, why hasn't Tony been down to bring you to your room?"

Steve paled, and looked nervously up at the ceiling. "There was a voice, and it talked to me. I couldn't see it, and it knew my name. It said, 'Mister Rogers, would you like for me to alert Mister Stark to your arrival?' and I kinda yelled at it for a little and it told me it's name is JARVIS and that-"

"JARVIS is Tony's AI, artificial intelligence, and he controls everything in the tower with it. It's a huge culture shock to be in Stark Tower after being frozen for seventy years, huh? It was pretty bad for me when I got back from India. I can only imagine what it's like for you and Thor."

"Yeah," Steve agreed, nodding slowly. "Um, Bruce, do you think you could bring me to my room? I mean, if it's not too much trouble."

"Yeah, no problem, Steve. Where's your stuff?"

"Over here, by the door. Let me just get it and I'll be right there." Steve grabbed his bags and headed over to the elevators.

"JARVIS, send us up to Steve's floor then bring me to Agent Atkinson's floor. Please tell Mister Rogers how everything works in the simplest terms possible."

"Of course, sir." JARVIS answered, before announcing that they were on Steve's floor. The two men waved their goodbyes and Bruce could feel the nervousness in his stomach as he neared Liv's floor.

He stepped out of the elevator, nerves jangled from being in such a small space and from talking to Liv about what transpired the night before, real or not. He glance around, ducking his head into the living room of her floor. "Um, hello? Liv? It's me, Bruce. I wanted to talk to you?" Bruce called out, then listened for a little. He heard the faint sound of someone singing. He followed the sound until he paused outside of a door that he recognized as the bedroom.

".._.they will meet fair Rarity. They will see I'm just as regal at the Galaaaa. I will find him, my Prince Charming, and how gallant he will beee! He will treat me like a lady, tonight at the Galaaaaa!Dah dah dah, dah dah dah, dah dah dah, dah dah dah dah... Been dreaming, I've been waiting to fly with those brave ponies, the Wonderbolts, their daring tricks. Spinning 'round and having kicks. Perform for crowds of thousands! They'll shower us with diamonds! The Wonderbolts will see me right here at the Galaaaaa!_" The door opened suddenly, making Bruce jump back in fear and Liv shriek. She flushed bright red, and Bruce did the same. "Bruce! What are you doing here." Liv didn't really ask, just stated it.

"I... Um, I... Nevermind!" Bruce stammered, noticing Liv wasn't wearing a shirt. "I'll just come back some other time!" He turned and fled for the stairs, the elevator would take too long. He struggled with the door for a minute until Liv called, "It's push, not pull." He turned and shot her a look, but faced the door again quickly at the expression on Liv's face. She had her eyes narrowed, her arms crossed, and an angry frown turned her mouth down. _'The mouth that kissed you last night'_ a little voice in Bruce's head reminded him. _**"Gah! Shut up, brain! Please, just stop** __**it!"**_

Liv shook her head at the closing door, and the retreating shadow of Bruce Banner. "I will never understand Midgardian men." Liv grabbed her shirt off the back of a chair, and pulled it on quickly. She flicked her wrist at the stairwell door and the elevator, casting a spell that ensured no one would interrupt her. She stalked back to her room, growing taller and her legs getting longer once more. She sat cross-legged on her bed and conjured up a circle of magic. "I call upon Thialfi, the messenger of the gods, to deliver my message to Loki Laufeyson, the trickster god and Jotun. The slayer of Balder and rightful ruler of the nine realms." Asfrid tossed a single scroll into the center of the circle, shattering the magic as the scroll fell through. She smirked as she watched it disappear into thin air, knowing that in a few moments Loki would get it.

* * *

"...And so then I said, 'But Nat, how can you stab the guy if you left your knife at my place last night?' and then she slapped me... But it was still funny." Clint laughed mostly to himself as he was hunched over a drink while Thor stared on in childish wonder.

"But, my friend, how did the leather-clad maiden leave her weapon at your... Place if she was never there?" Thor's brow furrowed and his shoulders dropped. Clint rolled his eyes at the blond god next to him.

"It was a joke, big guy. I was teasing Nat. It was supposed to be funny."

"I see no humor in humiliating our teammate. Perhaps she was truly upset?"

Clint rolled his eyes at the Asgardian. "Listen, Thor, buddy. Here on Earth, we tease the people we care about. I care about Nat, so I tease her." Thor nodded slowly, then rose and started walking towards the door. "Where are ya' goin' Thor?" Clint called.

"To go and check on my brother," Thor answered. He lumbered through the corridors and smiled at the agents he passed. The broad-shouldered man had to squeeze behind a group of new recruits who were getting a tour of the aircraft. "Pardon me," Thor rumbled. The young men and women jumped and shuffled forward. Finally, he reached Loki's cell, stepping as softly as he could.

Loki stiffened, and shoved the scroll he had gotten into a magic hidden pocket in his armor. He kept his back to the intruder, and turned his head slightly. "What do you want, Thor?" The dark haired man walked over to his bench and bed and sat, arms crossed, and eyes smoldering. "Do I appear to be in a gaming mood?"

"When do you ever, brother?" Thor joked, but Loki was in no mood for his antics. Thor's grin fell off his face and he coughed awkwardly. "I am sorry. The marksman told me that is what you do when you care about someone. You, oh, what was the word... Tease! You tease them."

Loki scoffed and turned his head away. "The marksman would be wrong. When you care about someone, you let them be. And if you truly cared about me, _Odinson_, you would do the same. I wish to be alone," Loki snarled. "So, be gone." Thor stepped forward and stretched a hand out apologetically, but when his hand collided with the glass of his brother's prison, he was reminded of the situation.

Thor lowered his hand and whispered gruffly, "We're taking you home today, brother. You'll get to see Mother again. And Father too. Lady Sif, the Warriors Three, and all of our subjects. Won't that be nice, my brother?" Loki stiffened again, and his head turned towards Thor sharply.

"I am not your brother. I never was, nor will I ever be, Thor. Why won't that get through your thick skull?"

Thor worried his lip with his teeth, and then sighed heavily. "Because we were raised together, we played together, learned together, fought together, we did everything together." Loki looked up at Thor with watery eyes.

"Thor, please. Leave me be. I wish to be alone for now before I face the cruel punishment the Allfather no doubt has for me." Thor nodded slowly, sadly, and turned away. Loki quickly swiped at the crocodile tears and mumbled a spell before flicking his wrist at the retreating figure of the strong blond.

* * *

Several hours later the two gods and Clint were speeding through the skies in a S.H.E.I.L.D. plane towards Tony Stark's tower where the rest of the team was waiting. Clint could practically taste the tension between his divine travelling companions.

"Hey, Thor, buddy. You okay, big guy?" Clint rested a hand on Thor's shoulder, the larger man starting and raising his head quickly.

"I am fine, friend. My brother, however, I cannot say the same for." Thor sighed sadly, and put a large hand to his cheek and rested his head upon it.

Clint made a noise of agreement and said, "I know how you feel. I've got five brothers and three sisters. My Ma couldn't take care of us all after Dad died, so I had to be the man of the family. Then when she got sick, everything just fell apart. We lost the farm, my baby brothers and sisters were taken away from me and put in homes all over the country. 'Too troublesome,' they said. 'Nobody's gonna adopt any of the Barton children.' they said. I would've adopted them all when I turned eighteen, but no. Turns out Dad was a S.H.E.I.L.D. agent and he had arranged for all of us to become agents when we were old enough. I went around looking for my family, to maybe say goodbye one more time, but no." Agent Barton sighed and patted Thor on the back before turning to leave. "They were all gone."

Thor looked up at his stone-cold teammate, and stood up. He lumbered over, and pulled Hawkeye into a bear hug. "I am so sorry for you, my friend. I vow on the souls of my people that if we can, I will find your family and protect them like a true warrior should. I will not let one sibling of the bravest man I know live as a criminal. Nor will they live in destitution nor will they want for anything." Clint smiled a rare smile, and hugged Thor back. He whispered his thanks and went back to piloting the aircraft.

Loki scoffed at his brother's softness, the sound muffled through a muzzle they had placed on him. He shook his bound hands, trying to cast even a simple spell, but found that Stark's technology had him beaten. He breathed a curse and held stock still as Thor came back to his chair.

"Loki, please. If you co-operate with me, with us, I promise that I will find a way to spare you from the horrors of Asgardian prison," Thor begged his brother, large hands grasping each other. "I swear it upon my only weapon, my treasured hammer. I swear it, dear brother." Loki could only roll his eyes and make another disgusted noise at Thor's weakness. "I know what you are thinking, Loki. I am not weak, I am being what a real warrior worthy of entering Valhalla is. _ Compassionate_."

Loki rolled his eyes once more, even more exaggerated than the time before. He smirked to himself as he decided that it was time to activate the connection he had made with Thor earlier. All of a sudden, it was as if the thoughts racing through Loki's mind had flown through the air and smashed into Thor's considerably sized forehead. Thor's dull thoughts drifted through to Loki, and he shuddered at the most... Intimate ones.

_"Now, brother, I can talk to you and you have no escape from my words." _Loki whispered to Thor telepathically, his voice even silkier than it was when spoken aloud. _"I am more compassionate than a vile brute like you could ever be. I have held a woman in my arms late at night when she was scared senseless by your abrasive behavior. Have you ever considered that perhaps not all of Asgard wishes to hear of your, eh, romantic adventures?"_

Thor gasped and clutched his head, trying to get Loki's voice out of it. Loki just sat still, head held high, a smirk playing around his muzzled mouth. He looked down at Thor while Thor looked up, eyes tearing up from the pain. _"Wasn't expecting it to hurt, were you, brother?"_ Loki raised an eyebrow while he thought this, and Thor winced again.

"Brother, please. Stop this madness, I beg you!"

_"No."_ Loki replied simply. He remembered a terrible sound he had heard earlier, a sound emitted by a microphone (was that the word?) that had been too close to another one. Thor gasped in pain, his entire body visibly shaking while Loki just looked on, completely unaffected by his reaction. In fact, he laughed to himself, a merry chuckle that hadn't been heard in years. If only it wasn't such a grating sound in his head, Thor would have smiled at his younger brother.

Thor choked out a sob, the noise getting strangled in his throat by the lump the tears had made. "Loki... Brother... Help me..." He cried out once more, Loki's eyes narrowing.

_"Pity. I thought you would have lasted longer without breaking. Ah, well,' the bigger they are, the harder they fall,' I believe is the phrase. And you cannot tell anyone about this, Thor, otherwise there will be dire consequences for that Midgardian girl you fancy." _Loki's thoughts sent a dark chuckle into Thor's mind, the latter wincing again. Thor nodded, gritting his teeth, to show he understood and Loki smiled.

There was a lurch in the craft as it landed on top of Stark Tower, and as Thor stood and exited the craft, he didn't cast a second look at his brother. If he had, he would've seen Loki's eyes widen in surprise when he saw that Thor had crumpled the metal support next to his chair.

_"So my brother is still the destructive brute he always has been,"_ Loki though with and smirk. _"It's like everything is back to normal. But better, now that Thor's been taken down a few pegs."_


	6. Chapter 6

Liv was nearly bouncing in excitement as she watched the aircraft land on the helipad on top of Stark Tower. Natasha glanced at the girl next to her out of the corner of her eye and misinterpreted her emotion. She whispered, "He's nothing without his magic. I know he's your first villain, but seriously kid. Calm down." Liv stopped rocking back and forth on her heels long enough to make Nat happy, and had to start biting the inside of her cheek to keep from grinning.

Bruce glanced down the line at Liv, but when she turned her head to face Nat, he pulled his back so that he was hiding behind Steve and Tony's taller frames as well as Nat's... Natasha-y frame. He turned to face the opening hatch of the craft, and jumped a little when Clint hopped out first, bow and arrow at the ready. It took all Nat had to not run over and give that big doofus an even bigger hug. Loki was out next, his handcuffs held by one of Thor's massive hands.

_"How lovely, our own little greeting party. Isn't this what you love, _Brother_, to be the center of attention?"_ Loki hissed to Thor's mind. Thor bit his tongue to keep from making noises of discomfort and only wrapped his hand around the cuffs tighter.

"I would not test my already thin patience, Loki, if I were you," Thor whispered gruffly in Loki's ear. "You know how I lose control suddenly when I become pained greatly."

_"Is that a threat, Odinson?"_

"Only if you think it to be one, Broth- Laufeyson," Thor struggled to say the one word he vowed to never call Loki. Loki, on the other hand, was considerably shocked.

_"Oh, look who's graduated to the big boy pants now," _Loki snipped at Thor's thoughts. _"It seems that you _are_ capable of being rude to me! How lovely!" _Thor's expression dropped from brave and blank to a saddened one. Loki could feel it in his mind, Thor's resolution falling. In the small part of his mind that was still private to himself only, Loki thought, _"Only a small while longer before my apprentice will be able to break me out of this wretched world and then I will be king."_

After hurried greetings and iron wills being put the the extreme test, Loki was again shoved into a cell. His thoughts flashed back to when he was captured at the beginning of this little... Adventure. He winced, green eyes closing as the door closed loudly. Loki waited a few minutes to ensure that all of the Avengers had gone. He waved his hand and cast a simple cloaking spell over himself so that to his wardens he would seem to be asleep. The mischief maker pulled the scroll out of his armor, then decided to take his armor off. It melted away and condensed into the form of an onyx ring with a thin gold band that he slid onto a slender finger. He unrolled the scroll and read it again.

_My king, _

_I have received word that you will be moved from that damned metal prison and placed in another one. I have assembled all needed items to restore you to your full power. My sources tell me that Stark's invention will dampen your powers, but seeing as I have managed to slip you an antidote that was taken on the way to point B, you will be able to perform magic within fifteen minutes of consumption. I will be in to check on you after ten minutes of waiting. I'll be hiding, so I challenge you to find me. If you do, there will be a pleasant reward for you. _

_Forever your faithful apprentice,_

_Asfrid_

Loki smiled at his student's letter, eyes sad and wishing for her to be with him. He had shut off the mental connection with Thor, only slightly monitoring the thunderer's thought to ensure that his secret wasn't let out. He laid a finger on the paper to trace each letter of her name. He had gotten to "I" when he felt as though someone were watching him. He froze, shoved the scroll into the pocket of his tunic, and stood slowly. He heard the faint rustle of clothes, and his head whipped in the direction it came from. He saw nothing, and turned back around. As he did, he nearly collided with none other than Asfrid, her curly brown hair forming something resembling a mane. She had her trademark smirk plastered on her face, her violet eyes taking in every inch of Loki's face, his expression, his eyes, and what seemed like his thoughts.

Loki smiled back, and reached for her hand. She complied and their fingers intertwined. Loki gave her a small kiss on the top of her head, and smiled as she reached up to kiss him. "You're late, dear girl," Loki whispered as he felt her wrap her arms around his middle.

"And you're imprisoned," Asfrid shot back, grinning stupidly at her teacher. "But I'm here to fix that. Stark's got his faux palace on lock down until he finds a... bio-weapon he made for S.H.E.I.L.D."

"Oh? And it wouldn't happen to be in the shape of a hair pin, now would it?" Loki asked teasingly, pulling a pin decorated with radiation symbols out of Asfrid's hair gently.

She grabbed at it, smiling at his messing around. "Return it to me, Loki, or you'll never get that _reward_ I promised you."

Loki pouted and stuck it back where he had found it. "You never allow me any fun, darling." Asfrid stuck her tongue out at him and, with a wave of her hand, made her hair sleek and in a messy bun. They walked over to the bench hand in hand and sat down together. Loki smiled down at his feet, and realized just how much he'd missed her while he'd been gone. He missed seeing her wear those Midgardian shoes she called "Converse" and then wear casual Asgardian dress. It seemed wrong somehow, a tunic and hunting pants made in Asgard, and Converse made in another world, but for her it worked.

When he looked back up at her, he found the petite agent from earlier sitting beside him, his arm around her shoulders, and Asfrid lying on the floor with blood leaking from the corner of her mouth and from her temple, her mane making a halo around her head on the cold metal floor. Loki jumped up and turned to snarl at Liv, who had seemingly come from nowhere and managed to defeat _ his_ apprentice in silence. Agent Atkinson giggled at Loki, and grabbed his hand. Loki snatched his arm back, and rushed over to check on Asfrid. As he lay a hand on her forehead, she flickered and disappeared in front of his eyes.

Liv smiled down at him, knelt next to Loki, and lifted his chin up to make him look at her. Her small, rounded, smiling face transformed into a slightly thinner, more angular one, still with the same warm smile. Loki stiffened, and backed away from the sorceress, anger burned into his eyes. "You...I..Traitor!" Loki choked out, fingers grappling at the glass.

Asfrid rolled her eyes at Loki, and said simply, "Well, how else was I supposed to get close enough to free you, my king?" Loki had nothing to say to her. "Perhaps you thought that I would simply barge in here, with no previous information, and that maybe the Avengers would do nothing?"

Loki sat down suddenly, his legs giving out beneath him. He hadn't thought of that, actually. He wasn't going to let her know that, though. "No. I had assumed that maybe your years as an apprentice had taught you to warn your teacher before doing something drastic."

Asfrid shook her head in frustration, and only sat down again. "I was under the impression that you could tell. I could see it in your eyes, the first day Liv met you. You knew who we were, but perhaps the connection had not been made." Loki, again, was stony silent. Asfrid felt bad, but she was determined to win this battle.

"I missed you," Loki whispered. "I missed your antics, your smile, your laugh, everything about you I missed." Asfrid's eyes widened in surprise. He never admitted to having actual emotions, and never longing.

"I... I missed you too, my lord." She inhaled sharply as Loki wrapped his long arms around her small shoulders. Loki inhaled too, a long breath in which he caught the smell of her. It smelled like flowers, spices, and leather. It was a scent that was completely unique to Asfrid, and not even when she was Liv did she smell like that.

Asfrid nuzzled his neck, kissing it lightly. She whispered quietly, "I love you." Loki's eyes snapped open, and his heart raced. He had been waiting to hear those words for nearly 2,000 years. Ever since he had seen her snarling at Thor because of some petty, childish wrongdoing, he knew that she was full of potential. Even though he was only a few hundred years old, he could tell that the daughter of the village blacksmith was meant to be with him.

"And I love you, my dearest. When I am king, we will be wed in glorious fashion, and you will be my queen. We will have three children, a son and two daughters. The girls will look exactly like their beautiful mother, and the boy will have her sense of adventure, but with his father's cunning," Loki stated matter-of-factly. "The boy will, of course, be learned in the art of magic, and the girls as well. We will have our three beautiful children, nine realms to rule, and no one to challenge us."

Asfrid smiled at this, and then her expression changed. She was concentrating as much as she could. Suddenly, a pale, thin, tall boy stepped out from behind her. His hair was dark and unruly, his eyes a glimmering green. A smaller girl emerged, too, holding his hand. Her hair was brown, and straight, with eyes of a deep purple. Another girl toddled out from behind the two of them, her round, rosy face smiling. She wobbled over to Loki, and reached up for him. Loki bent down to her and she touched his cheek with a pudgy hand. "Love daddy," she said. Loki teared up at the sight of future children, he had never thought that he would wed or have any children.

"What do you think, my love? Are you ready to get out of here to speed up their arrival?" Asfrid asked, motioning at the conjured children. Loki nodded happily, holding his baby girl on his hip, smiling and letting her grasp two of his fingers in her tiny hand.

"I would love nothing more than to have a life and a family with you." The children waved a farewell, and dissolved into thin air.

"Shall we, then?"

"Of course."

* * *

**AN: Here's your daily dose of diabeetus. Brought to you by Because Loki, the letter Q and the number 3.**


	7. Chapter 7

The Avengers were lounging in the common room, completely unaware of the meeting taking place several floors below them. Bruce and Tony had struck up a game of Monopoly, Steve was staring intently at the board, eyes following each square that the pieces moved. Thor and Clint were having an arm wrestling contest at which Clint was losing horribly. Natasha sat on the counter, sipping an apple juice and watching the boys mess around. Liv was allegedly napping in her room, but suddenly Natasha got a weird feeling in her gut. She started walking towards the elevator, but Clint spotted her and called,"Hey, Nat! Where ya' goin'?"

Natasha turned around, her face showing worry for a split second. "Guys, I've got a bad feeling. I think you should all have your weapons or whatever just in case." She chewed her lip for a moment before getting small nods from the boys. Nat smiled gratefully at them before Tony made some smart-ass remark that she didn't care about. She spent the thirty second ride up tapping her foot impatiently with arms crossed, looking at the ceiling. When the elevator finally stopped, she nearly jumped out of the slowly opening doors.

"God, I hate closed spaces. Hey, Liv? You okay, Rookie?" Nat called out into the empty suite. She wandered through the living room to the bedroom, its door ajar. Natasha pushed it open gently, poked her head in, and noticed what looked like glass shards on the floor, the messy bed, and the clothes strewn about the room. "Liv? Liv, are you here? Olivia?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Asfrid and Loki had cast their spell, and Loki's decoy was wandering his cell. The two were walking off holding hands, and smiled at each other as they prepared to teleport into the middle of the Avengers' relaxation. Asfrid took a last look at Loki before she closed her eyes. She felt him press a kiss on her forehead, and she smiled lightly as the tingling sensation of teleportation took over her body. Once the feeling faded, Asfrid opened her eyes and smiled maliciously. Her eyes scanned the room, making eye contact with Tony, who was discreetly motioning for JARVIS to bring his suit, Steve who was crouched in a defensive position with his shield held tightly, Thor reaching for Mjölnir, and Clint for his bow and quiver.

"Hello, Bruce," she said sweetly, looking the startled doctor in the eye last of all. His face went from startled to confused and Asfrid could see him mouth, "_Who are you..._" slowly. She grinned and changed into Liv, and Bruce let out a strangled cry of recognition.

"But... Liv... I... We..." Bruce stammered, and suddenly Tony was in front of him, in his suit, protecting his friend. Natasha chose at that moment to come running from upstairs and then stopped the instant she saw Liv with Loki's arm around her. Since she was looking from the back, she didn't know if he had a knife to her throat or what, but from the look on her teammates' faces told her that there was going to be a fight.

"Loki! Let go of Liv this instant!" Natasha shrieked, her shoes making clacking sounds against Tony's floor. Loki and Liv turned around, both smiling with mischief shining in their eyes. Nat saw that Liv was snuggling up to Loki, and the hand around Liv didn't hold anything but her hand. Confusion flashed across her face, only to be quickly replaced by anger. "You took over her mind, you _bastard_!" Natasha stormed over to where her team was on the other side of Liv and Loki. Loki laughed at her as she circled them with a gun pulled and loaded in front of her._  
_

"Oh, no, not at all my dear. Liv here is, in reality, my apprentice. She merely took on the guise of a S.H.E.I.L.D. agent to be able to get close enough to free me." Here Liv mock curtsied, grinning evilly up at Bruce as she did so. "Her name is not, I'm afraid Agent Olivia Atkinson, but will soon be Asfrid Laufeyson. Isn't that right, my pet?"

Liv laughed lightly, "Only too right, my dearest." She shot a wicked grin at Thor as she returned to her true form. "Remember me, O Thunderer?" Thor winced and nearly dropped Mjölnir when Loki's voice snaked its way into his mind.

_"Come now, Brother. Don't be so rude to your future sister-in-law.__ She's been nothing but cordial this whole visit. I truly hope you won't behave like this at the wedding. That is, of course, if I let you live long enough to see it."_ Loki smirked as Thor teared up and bit the inside of his cheek. _"That little Midgardian girl, Jane is it? Do you think she'd like to join us, Thor? For the feast and the traditional hunt for an off-world beast? Oh, yes, I do think that is a wonderful idea. _She _could be our beast."_

"NO!" Thor roared as he charged at Loki, Mjölnir raised in one hand, electricity crackling in the air. Loki rolled his eyes and easily sidestepped Thor, and with a wave of his hand caused him to fly into the bar Tony had set up along one wall.

"Next weakling please step forward to face the mighty Loki," the trickster drawled, eyes bright as he noticed Asfrid had slipped away and held Bruce suspended in mid-air, cooing to him little taunts and threats.

"'Oh, Bruce Banner, it sounds like a poem,'" Asfrid trilled in a mocking voice. She lowered her voice an octave or two and said, "'Oh, Livvy, because you kissed me once on a mission I love you forever and ever!'" Bruce turned his head away from her, trying to hide the tears. "'Oh, Bruce! You never even noticed that I was really evil and just wanted to free the only man I've ever loved!'" she mocked again. Her voice returned to normal and she placed a hand on Bruce's cheek. "Poor Doctor Banner. Alone in the world, afraid that because he's such a monster that no woman would ever love him. Oh, but then a beautiful girl emerges from the woodwork and kisses him in a bar, holds his hand, lets him put his arm around her, takes him to Stark Tower with her, and abandons him there with nothing but the memory of the feel of her lips against his. Tragic, really."

The caress of her hand was gone and replaced with a harsh slap across the gentle doctor's face. "_That_ was for thinking that a monster like you could ever be loved." She pulled out a knife and caught a few of Bruce's tears on it. She smiled, looking like a vengeful angel, and dragged the tip of the blade down his face before pressing hard enough to break skin and drew a sad face on his cheek. Bruce roared in pain, but the stretching of his skin only made it hurt worse. He shut his mouth and whimpered for her to stop, but she only smiled. "_That_ was for crying and whimpering. 'Oh, no, Livvy, don't hurt me! Remember what we did once, how much fun we had back on the ship! I love you, Livvy, please don't hurt me anymore!' Pathetic." Asfrid scoffed and used the bloody knife to slice open Bruce's button-down, and wrote her name in beautiful cursive on his chest and stomach with it.

All the while, Loki had been having fun of his own. He had incapacitated the Black Widow, Hulk was being taken care of, his idiot brother was limping towards him with two broken arms and yet was still able to hold the damned hammer. Hawkeye was out of arrows, but only because Loki had thrown his quiver over the side of the tower and used his magic to make it explode somewhere over the traffic and was currently trying to get Natasha to safety. The Captain, though, that was another story. The stupid human thought that maybe if he could put aside his differences with Stark to work together and sneak up on Loki while he was distracted they could overpower him. _Foolish mortals_. Loki spun around, two shots of blue light hitting them both square in the chest. They flew backward, and Steve's shield was wrenched from his arm as he slammed into the far wall. Tony in his Iron Man suit crashed through the wall and into the fountain he had set up in the next room.

"Alright, Reindeer Games, if that's the way you wanna play, then so be it," Tony muttered, eyes scanning the holograms floating in front of his face. He noticed that Liv- Loki's apprentice whatever the fuck her name is was unprotected and had her back turned from the chaos. She had Bruce and that's what Tony was gonna go after. "Well, Cupcake, it seems you're my next target."

Loki and Thor were facing off, circling each other, eyes fixed on one another as though they were the only two in the room. As if Bruce Banner wasn't bleeding from a face on his cheek, a name written in blood on his chest, sobbing on the floor. As if Natasha Romanoff wasn't unconscious and her partner Clint Barton wasn't on his knees with her head in his lap, trying not to cry when she was unresponsive and bleeding from the head. As if Steve Rogers wasn't clutching his shoulder, looking for his shield in the rubble from where Tony Stark, currently fighting Asfrid and losing, had smashed through the wall. As if they had all disappeared.

_"Thor, is it really worth it? You're going to lose, and you know it," _Loki projected while smirking. Thor made a rumbling sound in his throat and stumbled closer, but Loki only copied and made their circle smaller.

_"That is what you think, Brother. I know my teammates, and though they may be broken, they have not been beaten yet."_ Thor narrowed his stunning blue eyes, and a dark eyebrow over his brother's sparkling emeralds quirked up in mock surprise.

_"Oh, really? With one on the precipice of death, another being slowly tortured, you with broken arms, your marksman crying, a man in a flimsy suit, and a mortal with a trash can lid and a dislocated shoulder? You _really_ think you could beat us? Not a chance."_

Thor grimaced as a twinge of pain shot up from his left forearm, but he shook it out and glared at his brother. _"I do not think, Brother. I know. We will beat you, and you will fall. You will be returned to Asgard and placed in prison. Father will have no mercy."_

Loki became quickly enraged. "HE'S NOT _MY_ FATHER!" Loki screamed at Thor, who was slightly taken aback at the sudden outburst. "He was never my father. Thor, do you know what he did to me? He told me that the Jotun are evil, are scum, are the very rubbish of the Nine realms! He _brainwashed_ me, Thor, against my own kind! He was using me, he was setting me up. He never wanted me to be king of Asgard, he wanted me to be king of Jötunheim. He wanted me to stroll in, take over the throne, and rule with an Asgardian mindset towards the Jotun! He wanted me to rule as if my people, my kin, were trash! He's never had mercy on me, Thor! He _knew_ that there was no way I'd be able to rule without finding out my true parentage._ He_ is the monster, Thor, not the Jotun."

Thor was too startled to speak. He opened his mouth only to close it again. The Thunderer could see the tears in his baby brother's eyes, could feel his pain through their mental connection. "I'm so sorry, Loki. I had no idea..." Thor trailed off, and Loki sniffed once before turning his gaze away from Thor. They had stopped circling long ago, and Loki said only one thing, his eyes becoming hard as stone.

"Fight me."

* * *

**Welp, that was fun! It took a really long time to write all this; I got caught up in real world stuff. I lost my muse, then found it again. Anyway, hope you enjoy!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry it's kinda short. Just gonna let it end how it does.**

* * *

Asfrid slid backward on the floor slick with Bruce's blood after one of Tony's repulsor blasts had hit her. Her head quickly shot up, eyes darting around the room, and she reached for her belt. A knife found its way into her hand and she launched it at Thor across the room, whose arms had apparently healed enough to really wield his hammer. The knife stuck in his bicep with a small satisfying sound and then Asfrid realized how she could get Tony to leave her alone.

"Anthony! You really wouldn't try to kill a woman who is... With child, would you?" Asfrid noticed how Tony quickly landed with a loud _thump_ and his faceplate shot up to show wide brown eyes. "That's right, Man of Iron. I am carrying the child of your worst enemy."

Tony's eyes shot over to Loki, who had just used his scepter to hit Thor and leave a gash on his face while the Thunderer was busy pulling the knife out of his arm. Loki looked over his shoulder at Asfrid, and he had a maniac smile on, one that spoke of bloodlust and was fueled by adrenaline. She returned a loving smile, and turned to face Tony, who was staring at her stomach, arms slack by his sides.

"You can't be. It's impossible. We were monitoring the footage of the cell. You weren't even down there. It's-" Tony stammered, his brow furrowing as he tried to figure out how they could have made a baby without them, or even JARVIS, noticing.

"Hush, Stark. I have only one word to say to you: _Magic._" Asfrid smiled and placed a bloody hand on her abdomen. "Right now, the child of my king and I is growing into a lovely little copy of his father. With magic and his brilliant green eyes."

"How do you know it's a boy if it was only conceived today?" Tony studied Asfrid's face amid the chaos of the brothers fighting, Steve trying to get in, but an invisible force field keeping him from helping Thor.

"Because, Mister Stark, we made it so. There is a spell that my love has learned in his many years of studying the art of magic. It's very complicated and only really works if both parties are magical. To cut to the chase, as it were, we performed the spell after I liberated him from your pitiful prison in the highly unlikely case that he would perish in the battle we are in now." Asfrid explained all of this, circling slowly around Tony, who also turned in a slow circle to always have his eyes on her. Tony had a fleeting thought that she reminded him of a cat, but then focused again on what she had just said.

"Well, darling, I hate to disappoint you, but I'm afraid your child will have to grow up never knowing his father. Because you will lose." Tony's eyes narrowed as Asfrid laughed lightly. She stopped circling suddenly, and then a yellow bolt of magic was shot at Tony from her hand. Tony stumbled back a few steps, his suit glowing red hot on the arm where he was hit. His faceplate covered him again, and the fight was back on. Pregnant or not, Asfrid was going down.

Asfrid bolted for the glass windows leading to the balcony, and shot it out with another flash of magic, jumped onto the rail and grinned at Tony before flipping off and into the empty air below. She managed to turn her body as she was falling so that her stomach was facing the building and conjured up a a flying chariot, much like the Chitauri had. She landed gracefully on it, clinging to the bars with her hair whipping around her face.

Tony took a running start and jumped after her, his suit aiding him in the chase. He saw her take a quick right around the street, and he banked so that he didn't mess up his tower (again) and added a little more thrust to his thrusters. Asfrid looked behind her, saw Tony flying overhead, and engaged the cloaking device on her vehicle.

"Sir, we seem to have lost visual. Would you like me to engage thermal view?" JARVIS asked, his mechanical voice echoing in Tony's ears.

"Yes, do it now. We're going to lose her!" Tony's frantic voice registered to the AI and with the thermal engaged, the immense heat coming from Asfrid's engines was highly visible to Tony.

* * *

Meanwhile, Thor and Loki were still engaged in their heated battle. Steve had tried and failed to assist Thor and had run over to Bruce's body lying on the floor, surrounded by his blood. He had taken Bruce's pulse and then searched frantically for a medical kit, and remembered that JARVIS would work, even if Tony jumped out of a broken window over midday traffic, which he had.

"JARVIS!" Steve yelled, turning frantically, noting that Bruce was looking very ashen and his breathing had slowed. "I need a medical kit _right now!_" The captain dropped to his knees and almost cried with relief when, after a minute of nothing but the sounds of traffic and metal against metal from Thor and Loki, the AI's voice hit his ears._  
_

"Yes, sir. Here you are, Mister Rogers." JARVIS had DUM-E roll out with a white box, with blocky red letters that Steve fumbled with in his anxiousness to help Bruce. Bruce could hear very little, his ears felt like they were stuffed with cotton. His mouth was dry and his eyesight was blurry. He knew that he had been badly hurt, and that his exposure to the radiation and his resulting mutation could save him from so much, and he fleetingly wondered if the other guy couldn't save him this time. He could barely hear somebody that sounded like Steve muttering at him, _"Hold on, Bruce, just hold on"_ and he tried to smile to ease Steve's mental and emotional strain. The cut on his face had started clotting, and the sudden movement of the muscles and skin opened the thin layer of blood and Bruce hissed in pain before his face fell back to a painless blank expression.

"I lost too many men in the war, Bruce, I'm not losing you when I can save you with my own two hands." Steve was mostly talking to himself, Bruce had slipped back out of consciousness again, and Steve was rooting through the white box for something to soak up the blood and stop the bleeding. Steve couldn't make out where the cuts were on the doctor's chest, there was too much blood, both dried and fresh. He found some gauze and hydrogen peroxide, that's what the bottle said. He poured some of the liquid on a square of the gauze and carefully started cleaning the blood off of his teammate's chest and face. Steve had spent what felt like a lifetime cleaning Bruce, staunching the blood, cleaning what he couldn't keep in, staunching, cleaning again, and soon enough the cuts began to clot. Slowly but surely, the bleeding slowed enough for Steve to feel safe enough to turn on his knees and get the roll of bandages out of the box. He had found a box that said "surgical tape - good for keeping gauze etc. in place" and decided to use it along with the bandage. Steve turned back to Bruce to see that he was still in his torn and blood-soaked shirt and lying limply on the floor. He quickly took Bruce's pulse and smiled in relief when he felt the gentle pulsing under his fingers.

Steve's mind raced as he thought of how to go about covering the cuts on Bruce when he noticed that they almost looked like... Letters. He turned his head in an effort to read them easier than how he was facing them, "A.. Asf.. Asfrid! That's the girl who was masquerading as an agent!" Steve looked down at Bruce's unresponsive face like a father would. "I can't believe she did this to you, Bruce. She had always seem to like you back on the ship. You guys with the movies and the talking... I'm so sorry. I don't know if you can hear me, Bruce, but I'm so, so sorry." Steve sniffed, then his face assumed the leader-like expression he had in a battle. He carefully taped the gauze on Bruce's face and chest, the slowly lifted him up, pulled off the scraps of shirt still on him, then started winding the roll of bandages around his chest, spiraling downwards from the 'A' to the 'D' on his muscled chest, which was now rising and falling slowly, much to Steve's satisfaction.

Bruce's eyes slowly opened, the lids feeling like lead and his chest feeling tight, constricted, and like it was pulsing in agony. He could feel the gauze and the tape on his face and was grateful to his captain for patching up the monster of the team. Bruce calculated that it would take a few days for his face to heal, about a week for his chest, and never for his heart.

He had trusted her. He had talked with her, laughed with her, over-analyzed Star Wars Star Trek with her, had given her the only thing he could, his trust, and she had betrayed him like it meant nothing. Maybe it didn't. Maybe he meant nothing to anyone. Bruce started to cry a little, his whole body shaking as he lay there with his upper body on Steve Rogers' lap and his arm around his cut up middle.


End file.
